No Joy In Mudville

The SEVEN
October 10th, 2011

I. Brotherly vs. Apple?

If you had taken my prediction of an all-green Super Bowl - Jets vs. Eagles - to Las Vegas, things wouldn't be looking too good for you right now. It's not too late for a turnaround on the part of either team…but it's time to get it together.

In the case of the Eagles, maybe my dude Greg is right in insisting for any number of years that the problem includes coach Andy Reid. I certainly would like to see better pass protection for Mike Vick…that is, if you want him to be the proverbial pocket quarterback…which, to me, is crazy considering his unique skill set.

II. No Brotherly vs. Apple Here

Seems like I'm not doing too well with these two cities' teams...I didn't formally predict both of the World Series participants, but I certainly had forecast the Phillies to be one of them…and I certainly wouldn't have been surprised if, flaws and all, the Yankees had met them there. Now that - to borrow from "Casey At The Bat" - there is no joy in Yankeeville; mighty A-Rod has struck out (to end the season for the second consecutive year), and mighty Ryan Howard injured himself on the last play and may be out for part of 2012, the only place where they might meet is in front of the television to watch the Tigers vs. the Rangers or the Brewers vs. the Cardinals.

Since I like putting myself out there, I'm predicting that Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Nyjer "Tony Plush" Morgan, and the Brew Crew will emerge as NL champs and defeat either team that comes from the American League.

III. Curtain Call

Meanwhile, the airwaves/newspapers/internet in the areas of the Apple and the Liberty Bell are naturally filled with the "what went wrong…what can/should we do…who should stay/go" discussions. Should they hire me as a consultant to the Phils, I'd start by saying that you don't blow up a team that won 102 games; that doesn't happen by accident. Sign Rollins, lock up Hamels, give the closer role to Madson, and tweak around the edges. Bottom line is that this team was nine wins from the trophy; how many can say that?

As for the Bronx Bombers, pitching was where I thought their problems were at the beginning and where I feel they are weakest now. Sooner rather than later they will have to address that…but my first advice would be to offer Jorge Posada a one-year pact. As one of the great catchers in franchise history, he deserves a "curtain call" season even at the age of 41, which he will be this time next year. If any team can afford to carry a little-used guy for such a purpose, it's the Yankees. That said, Posada's play in the latter part of the regular season and the playoffs seemed to indicate that his tank is not yet empty.

IV. Try, Try Again

One key thing professional sports franchises - especially in markets like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston - need to do is place themselves in a position to compete for a title, which translates into making the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, you may meet with disappointment - as did the Yanks and Phils, along with their star-studded brethren of the Miami Heat - but as the ad says, you gotta be in it to win it. This is why you don't take a solid playoff team such as these and go into total rebuilding mode.

V. Playoffs?

Speaking of the Heat, hopefully there will be some playoffs this spring in the NBA. As I write this the owners and players just ought to be in negotiation, what with David Stern setting today as a deadline date for agreement prior to his cancellation of the first two weeks of the regular season.

Now let's rewind back to 1999, the year of the last NBA work-stoppage, where they played a 50-game schedule in a time span in which they generally play 30 games. With that as a backdrop, we can see that cancellation of two weeks would not necessarily mean the loss of two weeks worth of games…but come on guys, let's get this together.

VI. Collateral Damage

One of my cousins worked a second job for years at a concession stand at the Philadelphia 76ers games. He and his fellow workers must have felt that they needed that money, and may not have been in a position to draw on some cash sitting around if those checks dried up, as in the case of many of the players on the court.

In discussing the lockout and the ramifications of a shortened season - or no season at all, for that matter…think NHL a few years back - we forget about all of the other people that are affected by this. The fifteen ballplayers on each team's roster are by no means the only folks whose income is at stake here, and many of the other regular people need this money badly for things like tuition payments, rent or mortgage, or their car note.

I can't emphasize this enough…with the economy where it is, it is not too good a look for millionaires, multi-millionaires, and some billionaires to be arguing about the distribution of their monies.

VII. Take Care Of The Needy, Part I

Speaking of millionaires…and those totally looking out for their interests…isn't it funny that the Republican Party leaders are so quick to diss the Occupy Wall Street Protesters, but when Tea Party folks called for the be-heading of Barack Obama, and spit on African-American congressmen and called them the N-word, those Republicans were as quiet as church mice?